First Meeting of States Parties to TPNW: Hiroshima mayor calls on policymakers to join nuclear abolition efforts amid concern over military expansion
Jun. 23, 2022
by Kana Kobayashi, Staff Writer
Statements by government delegates and non-governmental organizations (NGO) supporting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) continued on June 21 and 22, during the First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW in Vienna, Austria. Hiroshima City Mayor Kazumi Matsui remarked in a presentation at the meeting that achieving the treaty’s objectives of the elimination of nuclear weapons and victim assistance is “an urgent plea of the A-bomb survivors of Hiroshima.” Mr. Matsui also expressed his concern over the mounting risk that nuclear weapons could be used by Russia in the war on Ukraine, calling on “the people of your states, of the nuclear-armed states, of their allies, even national leaders” to stand together in the pursuit of nuclear abolition and lasting world peace.
Mayor Matsui spoke in English for about five minutes late at night on June 21, Japan time, in his role as president of Mayors for Peace, an organization based on international solidarity with a membership of approximately 8,000 cities that aims to eliminate nuclear weapons and resolve other vital issues in the world. While pointing out that Russia’s threat of the use of nuclear weapons and its attacks on civilian populations represent an urgent priority, Mr. Matsui also indicated his concern over the military expansion carried as a countermeasure against Russia.
On behalf of A-bomb survivors, Mr. Matsui expressed the feeling that “no one else should suffer as we have.” He added that, “The only way to faithfully answer their appeal is to advance nuclear disarmament, leading to their total elimination.”
Nagasaki City Mayor Tomihisa Taue, who also serves as vice president of the Mayors for Peace organization, urged participants to “foster a global sense of empathy to combat the use of nuclear weapons” based on the A-bomb survivors’ motto, “Let Nagasaki be the last.” Masao Tomonaga, 79, a Nagasaki A-bomb survivor and head of the Organizing Committee for the Nagasaki Global Citizens’ Assembly for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, made an appeal in his speech on June 22 for understanding of the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons, based in part on his knowledge as a physician.
According to the United Nations, more than 70 nations and regions were in attendance at the June 21-23 meeting to discuss the main themes of assistance to victims of nuclear weapons and environmental remediation. Adoption of a political resolution is scheduled for the final day. The United States and other nuclear weapons states are not participating in the meeting.
(Originally published on June 23, 2022)
Statements by government delegates and non-governmental organizations (NGO) supporting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) continued on June 21 and 22, during the First Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW in Vienna, Austria. Hiroshima City Mayor Kazumi Matsui remarked in a presentation at the meeting that achieving the treaty’s objectives of the elimination of nuclear weapons and victim assistance is “an urgent plea of the A-bomb survivors of Hiroshima.” Mr. Matsui also expressed his concern over the mounting risk that nuclear weapons could be used by Russia in the war on Ukraine, calling on “the people of your states, of the nuclear-armed states, of their allies, even national leaders” to stand together in the pursuit of nuclear abolition and lasting world peace.
Mayor Matsui spoke in English for about five minutes late at night on June 21, Japan time, in his role as president of Mayors for Peace, an organization based on international solidarity with a membership of approximately 8,000 cities that aims to eliminate nuclear weapons and resolve other vital issues in the world. While pointing out that Russia’s threat of the use of nuclear weapons and its attacks on civilian populations represent an urgent priority, Mr. Matsui also indicated his concern over the military expansion carried as a countermeasure against Russia.
On behalf of A-bomb survivors, Mr. Matsui expressed the feeling that “no one else should suffer as we have.” He added that, “The only way to faithfully answer their appeal is to advance nuclear disarmament, leading to their total elimination.”
Nagasaki City Mayor Tomihisa Taue, who also serves as vice president of the Mayors for Peace organization, urged participants to “foster a global sense of empathy to combat the use of nuclear weapons” based on the A-bomb survivors’ motto, “Let Nagasaki be the last.” Masao Tomonaga, 79, a Nagasaki A-bomb survivor and head of the Organizing Committee for the Nagasaki Global Citizens’ Assembly for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, made an appeal in his speech on June 22 for understanding of the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons, based in part on his knowledge as a physician.
According to the United Nations, more than 70 nations and regions were in attendance at the June 21-23 meeting to discuss the main themes of assistance to victims of nuclear weapons and environmental remediation. Adoption of a political resolution is scheduled for the final day. The United States and other nuclear weapons states are not participating in the meeting.
(Originally published on June 23, 2022)
